Are You There - Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Minhyuk cannot sit still. His body may still be weak after only two hours of slumber, but he refuses to remain safe in Hoseok's bed when things are happening. "I wanna come with," he calls out as Hoseok pulls his bedroom door open.
The broad man glances over his shoulder at the nurse, contemplating the idea only for a moment before shaking his head. "Not a chance. I don't trust you enough to bring you anywhere near Changkyun."
Minhyuk rolls his eyes, shuffling a bit towards the edge of the bed. "My master is the same as his, and you don't trust me near him? But you trust me enough to leave me alone for hours in your home?"
"Of course not." Hoseok taps at something engraved into his bedroom door, an oddly shaped knot of some sort that Minhyuk cannot decipher. "I've already pressed a charm into the wood. You'll be trapped in here 'til I come back and let you out."
Without another word, Hoseok steps into the hall and shuts the door tight. Minhyuk's eyes rest on the wood, the marking a deep pitch that glows for a single moment as the charm takes effect. He groans, knowing that any charm created by a fae cannot be broken by him. His mother, perhaps, but she is not here.
"Why the hell did you have to have me with a telepath?" He asks the dead air, cursing his mother's judgment for just a moment before falling silent. He does not want to be angry with his mother for something she could not necessarily control. The heart goes where it desires, and her heart led her to a man called Lee Sung-Jun. And unfortunately, the man that owned Sungjun.
If Minhyuk's mother, a wiry woman of full fae blood, had had Minhyuk with another of her kind, he would be able to easily scrape at the charm holding him in this room. Unfortunately, he is powerless against his sudden captor with only half the capabilities of a full-blood fae. Minhyuk only hopes his master will not make a sudden call for his disciple, in need of him when he cannot appear before Hyungwon.
Minhyuk sighs, shoving the blankets aside and sliding down from the large bed. He has already surveyed the room several times over. While Hoseok was unconscious earlier, during his weapon search, he had taken in everything that sat around the room. From the bay windows that lead out onto a small gated patio, to the opposite wall that served as an art exhibit, Minhyuk has seen it all.
"God damn faeries," he murmurs under his breath as he approaches the bedroom door. Being a half-blood always kept him from their circles. He was easily fooled, too naive for their impish trickery, and it made him tuck himself away for most of his childhood. When he came of age, and his fae blood finally spurred to life under his thirteenth lunar eclipse, he believed that those of his bloodline may finally accept him.
But he soon realized that with his father's blood held tight to a contract with a vampire, he would never be a true fae. Once again, Minhyuk curses at his mother, pressing his palm against the wood of the bedroom door. He is weak, but even if he had all his energy, he would not be able to escape. He cannot help but try, despite it all. He sighs as he leans his forehead against the wood, the strength of the engraved knot radiating into the air.
Hoseok, stood just on the other side of the door, frowns as he listens to Minhyuk's muttered ramblings through the wood. He knows his charm will hold, but something about leaving the nurse behind leaves the broad man feeling unsettled.
He has already gathered Jooheon and sat him in the passenger seat of his car, the blonde man too dazed and aching to really give a damn over where he has been left. But Hoseok remains in his home, wondering what he should do about the half-blood he's left in room. Kicking himself, Hoseok's hand drops onto the doorknob, twisting it until the door pops open. Minhyuk's feet stutter back as the wood swings towards him, his eyes widening. He glances down at his hands, in awe of what he thinks he has just done. When he looks up again and finds Hoseok watching him carefully, he sighs.
"You're coming with," Hoseok says quietly. He cannot pretend he is happy to have the nurse accompany him, but with the little knowledge he has on vampires, perhaps Minhyuk could be of good use. "Is Changkyun's Master really yours?" He asks slowly, his palms folded together behind his back to hide the way his hands shake. Truly, he has not gotten over his call with his younger friend, the terror in the tanned man's voice like a stab through his chest.
Minhyuk nods, moving forward quickly to reveal his Mark. Hoseok retreats a step back, and Minhyuk pretends he takes no notice as he tugs his shirt collar aside. The Mark of being owned is not anything to be proud of, nor is it anything beautiful. It is a branding that steals all the respect you have from others, and the respect you have for yourself.
Despite his shame, Minhyuk reveals the smooth skin of his left collarbone, marred only by what Hoseok would have guessed was a tattoo if he did not know any better. Three simple symbols span the length of Minhyuk's collarbone. On the left, an empty circle, on the right, a solid black circle. Between the two is a single line, connecting them both.
"This is my cord," Minhyuk whispers, covering himself once he has decided Hoseok has had a good enough look. "Master Hyungwon Claimed me as his disciple on my twentieth birthday, and this thing has been there ever since. I can promise you that if my new brother hasn't got his yet, it'll only be a few days before Hyungwon officially Claims him and it appears."
Hoseok's eyes linger on Minhyuk's shirt, practically staring through it to get a second glimpse at the odd markings on the otherwise pale and smooth skin. "If you're lying to me right now, I'll know it."
Minhyuk's eyes roll, and he holds his hand out for Hoseok to take. "Read my memories if you have to. Whatever. You'll see him easily enough. You'll see me with my new brother as well-"
Hoseok groans, smacking Minhyuk's hand away from him. "Don't call him that. You're not brothers."
Minhyuk nods, swallowing his growing nerves to finish what he was saying. "Okay. Well whatever he is, you'll see him. I helped Master Hyungwon keep him monitored and living, sort of, during his change." Minhyuk shoves his hands deep into his pockets, mildly hurt after being slapped away by Hoseok.
It is something he should have grown used to from people of the fae blood, but he cannot pretend it does not hurt his pride to be so easily disregarded by his own kind. Hoseok notices the subtle change in the nurse's demeanor, but chooses to ignore it. He does not have time to coddle the half-blood before him. He barely has time to tend to his actual friends.
"I'll choose to believe you, but I'm not going to trust you," Hoseok says quietly. He quirks a finger at Minhyuk, indicating for the man to follow him through the house. "I have nothing against killing someone if they stand in my way of helping my friends." His voice carries over his shoulder, and Minhyuk's shoulders bunch up towards his ears as he realizes that even now he will not be accepted.
He wants to go back to the hospital. The place is stifling, and haunted by nothing but death, but at least there he can hide from the rest of the world. At least there he has a place. At least until his Master calls him back for another disgusting task.
[ x ]
Changkyun sits at his kitchen table, glaring at a mug of steaming water on the counter across the room. It was not steaming a few minutes ago. It had originally been filled with cold water from the tap. The water had not warmed until Changkyun's lips touched the rim of the mug, the liquid suddenly scalding against his skin.
He had cursed at the pain, slamming the mug onto the counter to let the liquid slosh over the edge onto the linoleum surface. Now he can only stare as clouds of steam continue to rise into the kitchen air, a mystery he cannot tell if he wants to solve. So many questions, yet Hyungwon has conveniently left him to wonder over them all alone. Changkyun cannot imagine Hoseok or Jooheon would be much help when they arrive, but he waits impatiently for them anyhow.
He does not want to see them. He does not want them in his home. He does not want to risk their safety. But more than anything, he does not want to be alone right now. The terror of what he is and what he can do has settled on his mind, and he knows not how to fix himself. Perhaps he is selfish in allowing his friends to invite themselves into his home, walk freely into danger, but he is unsure of any other options.
He wonders if he can go crazy now. His mind is practically split down the middle, a war within his skull. Hyungwon said that he was still technically half human; perhaps that half will be the factor that drives him mad when he cannot accept what the rest of him has done. He gets lost in his mind as he waits, contemplating his new existence to the point of forgetting his surroundings. He shouts in surprise when a knock sounds at his kitchen door, the arrival of his two guests drawing him back into the realm of the living.
"Kyun?" Jooheon's voice is soft through the apartment door, but Changkyun's heightened senses can pick up even the shift of air around Jooheon's lips as he breathes a little too deeply.
Standing, the tanned man crosses his kitchen to stand just before his apartment's entrance, listening as not two, but three lungs fill and empty. "Who's with you?" He asks through the door, waiting for a reply. He can smell all three beings, two smelling nearly identical.
He wrinkles his nose at the realization that he could be used as a bloodhound. This is something he never wanted to learn about himself.
Hoseok replies for the trio, clearing his throat as he steps closer to the door. "Jooheon and I brought your nurse from the hospital."
Memories of the thin man Hyungwon had called his brother flash through Changkyun's mind. "The one with the brain thing?"
Changkyun is careful to remain vague, not knowing just how deep Jooheon's mental wipe runs. The nurse answers curtly, his thumbs fumbling together against his stomach nervously. "If you mean the amnesia thing, then yes, that one."
Changkyun is glad that the nurse also keeps his words simple, remaining aloof for the sake of the blonde man with them. Sighing, Changkyun nods to himself before unlocking his apartment door and pulling it open for the lot to enter.
Jooheon plows through the threshold first, his arms winding around his best friend immediately. "Kyun-ah!" His round cheek presses into the crook of Changkyun's neck before he can ward off the embrace, and the tanned man stills as the overwhelming warmth of a human body settles over his skin.
He holds his breath, the stench of human blood so thick that he can practically taste it. Hoseok steps forward next, saving Changkyun as he grabs Jooheon and leads him deeper into the apartment. Minhyuk remains in the apartment hallway, nervous to enter the apartment. He knows he does not belong most places, and feels uncomfortable just entering someone's home without proper acceptance.
Changkyun easily reads the nurse's expression, waving him into the kitchen silently. The nurse bows his head in gratitude, stepping out of his shoes in the hall before shuffling into the warm apartment. "So you're my new brother," Changkyun mutters quietly, staring at the taller man with a calculating gaze.
This is the first time he's really seen Minhyuk through a fully coherent eye, and what he sees makes him nervous. His face is completely readable, and his body language is completely blocked off. He's reserved, though he smiles politely when addressed.
"Technically," Minhyuk says just as softly, "you're my new brother. I was around first."
Changkyun cracks a smile at that, though he takes a tentative step back from the thin man when he extends a hand. Minhyuk pretends he is not hurt, but his face is an open book. "I'm sorry," Changkyun says quietly as he waves the man towards the den, where he can hear the other two settling in. "I really don't want to touch anything right now. I'm not entirely sure of my ability to restrain myself."
Minhyuk nods, understanding. "I'm sure Hyungwon told you about some of your strengths, yes?" They walk into the den, and Minhyuk finds his eyebrows together when Changkyun shakes his head. "He didn't tell you anything?"
Shrugging, Changkyun leans against the wall furthest from his best friend and Hoseok. "He told me that I'm a half-blood," he says at barely above a whisper. Minhyuk knows this much, having known that his own master was a birthed vampire from centuries ago. "And that apparently that makes me illegal goods."
Minhyuk also knows this, among plenty of other things he perhaps should not. He is not a vampire, the boy before him is; so why is it that a telepath knows far more about his new brother's abilities than he himself knows?
"I can answer your questions," he says honestly, his body aching to be of aid. To help someone other than the man he was forced to follow blindly.
"I have plenty," Changkyun admits with a small smile. "But I don't think this is the perfect time to ask." He gives a pointed look towards the sofa, where Jooheon has begun to whine against Hoseok's side. The broad man glares daggers at the nurse beside Changkyun, clearly not trusting the man yet. Minhyuk is sure he never will.
"I'll leave you with my information," Minhyuk says quietly, excusing him from the tanned man's side to sidle up to Hoseok. Though there is plenty more room on the spacious couch, Minhyuk sits nearly pressed against the broad man, feeling rather spiteful towards Hoseok after being treated as he was. Hoseok glares over at the thin man, but chooses to ignore him. Lifting a hand, Hoseok places his fingers against Jooheon's temple, willing him to sleep rather than ramble on about being so lost in this broken world.
Changkyun watches with wide eyes as Jooheon slumps forward and hits the floor with a solid thud, Hoseok merely leaning forward to roll the blonde onto his side. "What the hell did you just do?" Changkyun takes a step forward before remembering the dangers, leaning back against the wall in annoyance.
"Put him to sleep," Hoseok says simply, scooting down the couch to put some space between him and the half-blood. "Ignore it. We're here to talk about you, not me."
Changkyun shakes his head at that, pointing a tan finger at Hoseok accusingly. "Actually, we should really talk about you too." Changkyun takes a long step forward, thankful when neither of the men lean back into the couch out of fear. "Why are you oh so casual about everything that's going on?"
Hoseok plays dumb, shrugging his thick shoulders. He wonders how much strength it would take to erase Changkyun's memories. Minhyuk beside him smirks, Hoseok's thoughts so loud he cannot help but hear them.
"You can't wipe him," Minhyuk says too loud for Hoseok's comfort.
The fae slaps at the nurse beside him, tossing a finger up to silence him.
"I can hear you even if you're twelve floors up," Changkyun says with an eye roll. "You can either pretend nothing's going on, or you can explain to me why you can apparently wipe people?" Changkyun sits himself across the room, the distance a perfect eight feet from the two on the sofa. It is incredibly odd that he knows the exact distance from just a glance, nut he chooses not to question himself.
"He's a fae," Minhyuk says brightly, leaning forward as if he is holding onto the deepest gossip of his lifetime. His face is dripping with glee as he glances at Hoseok, the broad man visibly shaking with anger.
"A what?"
Both men turn back to the vampire before them, a practical infant to the world outside of humans. He sits impossibly still as he waits for an explanation from someone. "What's a fae?" He asks again when nobody replies.
Hoseok sighs, glaring at Minhyuk for only a moment before leaning forward to start. "The children of the night come in three circles. Vampires," he indicates Changkyun, who drops his shoulders a bit in shame. "The fae," Hoseok points to himself, and Minhyuk pretends he is not disappointed by the exclusion. "And succubi. And their male counterparts, incubi."
Changkyun pretends he understands, nodding along quietly as Minhyuk sighs beside Hoseok. Both men glance at the nurse, who rolls his eyes at the attention. Minhyuk's hand slaps at Hoseok's shoulder, his annoyance felt through the room. "You're a total tool," he mutters to the older. "You think he's gonna know what you're talking about if you just give him a basic history lesson?"
Changkyun watches as the pair falls into a muttered argument, hanging onto their words as they clench their teeth and fists. Minhyuk finally wins in the end, and turns with a triumphant smile.
"Going off what he said, all three circles are created from demons creating children with humans. Vampires came first, and are now the rarest to find. Fae came next, now far more common than any of them. They come from angels bearing children with vampires." Minhyuk considers how to define his own kind, pulling from popular references Changkyun would probably understand. "You know what a Wicca is, right?"
"The fake witches?" Changkyun's face bunches up as he recalls a silly movie he saw with his parents when they lived in America, not entirely understanding the premise back then. "Like, they use plants and make wishes and cast spells?"
Minhyuk shrugs, but nods despite the minor inaccuracies. "More or less. The fae take energy from the earth kinda like the Wicca. Though we are creatures of the night, we aren't here to cause harm like the succubi and vamp-" He bites his tongue, though it is already been said. "Well, y'know. We're meant to live as servants to humans and protect when necessary."
"Stop saying we," Hoseok mutters angrily, his glare burning a hole into Minhyuk's cheek.
Minhyuk ignores him, continuing on as best he can despite his hurt ego. "The last, the succubi, are disgusting things. They're alive only to create more of themselves. Their sole drive is to prey on men, raping in the night, just to become pregnant and birth a new monster."
Changkyun shivers, the thought genuinely startling him. "And these things just walk around? Walking, talking, monsters?"
Minhyuk shakes his head, but Hoseok beats him to explaining the way a succubus works. "The succubus is always a gorgeous woman. It can adapt itself to appear before a man any way it thinks will please him."
"An incubus is basically the male version, dick and all." Minhyuk puts in rather bluntly. Changkyun blinks up at him, his eyes as wide as saucers. "Sorry," Minhyuk mutters when he receives only a glare from the fae beside him. "Just thought he should know."
Hoseok sighs, dropping his face into his hands as a fresh wave of fatigue hits him. He peers at his friend across the room, sighing before lowering his hands and speaking again. "I'm a fae, and I'm sorry for hiding it for years, but it isn't something I can just tell people. Our abilities can range from simple protection charms, to being able to erase an entire life that's already been lived."
He nods down to where Jooheon sleeps carefree, his dreams black and empty as the living room around him explodes with information.
"I wiped, him, by the way." Minhyuk clasps his hands together, not looking for praise, but rather proud of himself for not killing the blonde boy in the process. "Master Hyungwon messaged me to catch your friends at the cafe, and-"
"And you weren't able to erase him without wasting all your energy on a damn kiss." Hoseok shakes his head at Minhyuk, acting superior though he himself has never tested the extent of his powers.
"You kissed?" Changkyun rises on his knees, suddenly fully invested in their banter. "You kissed my best friend?"
His lungs freeze for an instant, his emotions rising as his feelings for his best friend rise up his spine. Hoseok sighs, realizing what he has just said and understanding why it has set his friend off. "Calm down, kid," he says softly. "It's how we wipe humans," he explains. "The kiss of the fae, lip to lip contact. I dunno why it can't be hand to hand, or even elbow to elbow. It's not a kiss for romance purposes." Minhyuk nods along, eager to settle his brother.
Hoseok can sense that Minhyuk is about to speak, so he beats him once again. "Getting back to the reason we actually came here." Hoseok slides down from the sofa, scooting too close to Changkyun for the man's comfort. "You've been changed. Have you been Claimed?"
Changkyun nods, his shoulders slumping after being reminded. "Can I see?" Minhyuk asks from his place on the sofa. Changkyun looks up questioningly, unsure of what he is meant to show. "Your Mark," he adds. He points to his collarbone, and Changkyun glances down at his covered chest curiously.
"What Mark?" He asks, nudging his collar aside to see what the nurse means. He sucks a breath in between his teeth as a series of dark shapes is found on his tanned chest, something he surely did not see when changing this morning. "The hell-"
He pulls his shirt down at the collar, revealing the two circles connected by a thin line. Minhyuk nods to himself, while Hoseok only sighs.
"I told you he was corded," Minhyuk whispers down to his argumentative comrade.
"Is this a good thing?" Changkyun asks nobody in particular, his eyes focused in on what almost looks like ink.
"It's a good thing for our Master," Minhyuk says quietly. "But whether it's good for you will have to be decided later."